title: The pathogenic neisseriae contain an inactive rpoN gene and do not utilize the pilE sigma54 promoter.
abstract: The sigma54 promoter (P3) upstream of the pilE gene in Neisseria gonorrhoeae was shown to be non-functional by transcriptional analysis of a PpilE::lacZ fusion containing only P3. A region on the chromosome of N. gonorrhoeae strain MS11-A was identified that potentially encodes a protein with a significant similarity to the Escherichia coli RpoN protein. However, this region (designated RLS for rpoN-like sequence) does not contain a single open reading frame (ORF) capable of encoding a functional RpoN protein. It appears that RLS may have arisen from an ancestral rpoN homologue that underwent a deletion removing the sequence encoding the essential helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif, and changing the subsequent reading frame. An RLS has been identified in several strains of N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis. A 90-kDa gonococcal protein has previously been shown to react with a monoclonal antibody raised against the RpoN from Salmonella typhimurium. However, mutagenesis and Western blot analysis confirmed that the gene encoding this protein is not contained within RLS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laskos
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dillard
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Seifert
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fyfe
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000235:genetics*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000235:genetics*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D018933:Pili, Sex / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051877:RNA Polymerase Sigma 54; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C111030:RLS protein, Neisseria gonorrhoeae; D012808:Sigma Factor; C074063:pilE protein, Neisseria gonorrhoeae; C497751:rpoN protein, E coli; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; D051877:RNA Polymerase Sigma 54